Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Surprisingly good live album. I kind of lost interest about 2/3 of the way, but had a decent time listening to it.
unobjectionable and perfectly fine to listen to but not rly distinct for me in any way beyond being a live album (derogatory). motor city is burning was probably the highlight for me
I'm really starting to get a sense of the type of person making these picks and I think they just don't have a very diverse taste in music
Decent...not my favorite protopunk (much prefer the Stooges) but can understand the influence. 3/5
I hate live albums sometimes….. this one isn't great. I the music would be better recoded in the studio. Loud, raucous, rock and roll from 1969…. Thats the big surprise. Sounds like a decade early. It isn't bad, i don’t think its really my thing, but I see how people like it. 3/5
MC5 is fun, but I’m not sure they deserve the legendary status they have achieved.
Another good album.
This was perfectly fine, but I really don’t see why it would make a list of albums you MUST hear. Didn’t feel like anything special.
Couldn’t finish the album. Somewhat because I’m behind and somewhat because I didn’t want to. I will give them an extra star because I heard “Let Me Try” from their later album, and I loved listening to that song.
Pretty good. Don't see how it's punk from a sonic point of view.
Poeh die hoge stem in het eerste nummer vind ik maar niets. De nummers daarna moeten het zonder doen en zijn daarom een stuk beter te verteren. Het album klinkt behoorlijk rauw, best wel intens. Voor deze tijd moet het haast wel over het randje geweest zijn. Je hoort veel punk elementen terug in de muziek. Dit is wel een live-album waarbij er meer rauwe randjes zijn. Ik ben uberhaupt niet echt een scheurende gitaren liefhebber, en dit maakt het soms wel lastig om naar te luisteren. Daar tegenover staat dat het rauwe het een bepaalde lading en emotie geeft die ik wel charmant vindt. Hoe dan ook denk ik dat dit album wel een kleine remaster heeft verdiend, vooral als het als iconisch wordt beschouwd. De laatste twee nummers zijn niet best, vooral Starship is een soort koortsdroom, maar niet op een goede manier. Eigenlijk blijft een album over met een matig begin, best aardig middenstuk en een matig einde. Al met al een matige sandwich dus. Favorieten: Come Together, Motor City Is Burning
Jag är inte så mycket för album som är live men annars så var albumet helt okej. Kan tänka mig att ha på det i bakgrunden igen.
I get that it’s an important record and that it’s influential etc. just didn’t do much for me.
One great song. The rest are ok. Not a must listen album.
Interesting and amped up time capsule from 1969 - a live punk rock education. A call to the barricades. Rocking along, energetic, choatic agro fun for slam dancing. The hoarse vocals are a bit painful. They sure put it all out there. This is real rock. interesting vintage listening, history lesson.
It was fast, energetic, and fun
Jamais entendu parler du groupe auparavant. Pas mal en terme d'énergie mais comme toujours avec le punk, ça manque un peu de mélodie
Prefer The Presidents' song
super rough noisy psychedelic-esque bluesy boisterous dive bar rock recorded in a trash can.
I'm not sure where the appeal is with this album. That being said, it is rock, so I don't dislike it necessarily.
Not what I was expecting when I saw the 1969 date. Much more punk /hard rock. Still, not too bad, but not my favorite.
Has its moments but at times just sounds like a mess.
Great energy! Kind of a mess, and a bit repetitive. But, I gotta give it a little credit for the influence, for the groundbreaking "motherfucker!". I'm not enjoying it as much as I thought I would, unfortunately. Probably sticking with a 3 on this. Really wish it was more, but there's nothing catching me.
6/10. This was decent
For 1969 this is messy. Grimy and dirty. Just really heavy and fucked up in all the right places. But we’re not in 1969 we’re in 2023 and so this album was mid. 6/10
Recency is easy - The Who’s Live at Leeds came out one year later and sounds so much better. This might be the first album on the list that I thought was not well or under produced. Better production and it’s 4/5. Yea it’s generic by 2024 standards, because they were first. Relatively modern/70s rock sound that must have been awesome live. Wish they would have released a studio recording, but the album seems like an afterthought
Actually pretty fun album. Interesting choice to have a live debut and it pays off, I don’t think this would be anywhere close to what it is if it was recorded in studio
Yes you need to listen to this album once. Then put the title track on a playlist and never listen to the rest again.
I first listened to this record after reading Lester Bangs book Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung. And it’s listed on all the “influential” lists. I get that, and maybe one can hear where this pointed, but it’s an otherwise pretty straightforward live rock record. Maybe you had to be there. And on something.
It's weird to listen to a record that makes the Stooges sound focused and polished. I like what this record influenced more then this record. It was fine.
I can thank the MC5 for doing what would eventually become punk. But I just don't really jive with this album much. The recording quality isn't there, which is tough since it's live and everything. The songs are just okay. It's fine, and I will listen to it again, but more because I feel I have to than because I actually really enjoy it.
It rocks when I’m in the mood.
There's something I can't place about the way they sound like they're simultaneously speeding through their set and packing up their instruments.
This was fun. Loud and wild, interesting little time capsule. I can only imagine how people must have responded to it back in 1969.
great protopunk
i want to like it more but really it's just a couple of cool riffs and some really cringe politics
Pretty nondescript on first listen.
I have wavered between this being either: a) a sloppy and often pedestrian set of live tunes from a band that is cited infinitely more by critics than anyone I'd ever met in terms of how good they're supposed to have been ... or ... b) this just being a fun high energy live rock album with little to no thought needed. Being fair, energy mostly wins out - you really can feel the (mostly controlled) chaos on stage. It's not something I put on repeat, isn't the most melodic of collections, and gets pretty ridiculous by the end but some days you really need to turn it up to 11 and simply kick out the jams, motherfucker. 6/10 3 stars.
Strano, carino
Not gonna lie, when I read “White Panthers” I assumed they we some clan boys. I’m glad I was wrong. As for the music, I can see that at the time this was punk rock heaven, I would have likely geeked out on it, but the fidelity of the live album and lack of polish on songs impacts my perception. Overall, I enjoyed the fun atmosphere of it, and the passion certainly flows through. I’d give it a high 3.
I have a mixed love affair with live show recordings. On one hand, I'm all about live recording as a means to capture a band at their height, or to capture some particularly unique element of a live act; however, on the other hand, the recording quality and general music quality almost always suffers due to recording tech in combination with the environment. This latter aspect is certainly true here, where the recording tech struggles to capture all of the elements of what surely made MC5 a blast to see live. However, what this album lacks in particular recording clarity MC5 counteract with the equivalent of capturing a jet-fuel like energy in a tight set. Vocals on Ramblin' Rose are...interesting, but hell there is a lot of energy here. Feels almost like hair metal (a la Iron Maiden about 10 years ahead of its time). Halfway through, I appreciate all of the energy and the musicianship on display, but am annoyed that so much of the best elements are buried so deep in the mix (guitar solos primarily). Rocket Reducer is a hot mess by the 4 minute mark -- not loving it. Motor City is Burning has a standard blues-rock progression to it. Standard, but very capable guitar fills. I Want You Right Now might be my favorite on here. All in all I'm a 3 / 5 here. I think I can see how this could have been a more important album at its time, but failing that context I'm not terribly moved. MC5 certainly brings energy to the table, but a lot of it is lost in translation due to the recording. The last two songs were admittedly pretty sweet and I would have loved to be at this live show.
Now I don't know much about anything but I think some of America's best young men served in 'Nam. There was Dallas, from Phoenix; Cleveland, he was from Detroit, and Tex... mmm I don't remember where Tex come from... but the point I'm trying to make is the world is a confusing place and Detroit bears some responsibility. Soul is from MoTown and Hippie rock is from MoCity and the Piston's are from Detroit. MC5, as I learned is not the name of five talented MCs, they're hiippie rockers from Detroit, or Motor Town, or Motor City, err the place they make all the pistons and there are five of them. Anyhow, screw war, make love and Forest Gump was a damn fine American.
This was a 4 all the way up until Starship, which went off the rails. They were high energy, gritty, and rocking up until that point. But Starship is 1/5 of the album so it negatively affects the album.
Energetic. Bluesy and kinda funky but also loose.
Wot, no 'KICK OUT THE JAAAMS, MOTHERFUCKERS!'? A good primer as to what the MC 5 must have been like live. You probably needed to be there.
Its pretty good
Pretty standard for a live album honestly nothing special. I wish we brought back the trend of public address announcer giving a brief speech to the audience before shows. That seems cool.
It’s fine I can see why some people hate it.,kick out the jams and ramblin rose was good.But spaceship is 8 minutes of weird 60s (science fiction spiritualism?) that is very annoying to listen to.
Kinda bland but not terrible terrible
Interesting live album. Never heard this band before, and I had a hard time really engaging with the live performance version of the songs. It wasn’t bad, but I tend to not be engaged in live recordings of songs I’m not familiar with.
Buff, un directo para empezar tu carrera musical. ¿Esto ya no se hace? El principio ya pone los pelos de punta con la intro de "Ramblin' rose" y sigue con el "Kick out the jams". Imprescindible escucharlo con la mente en el ño que se grabó: 1969.
Bangin' live music. Rough and loud.
A classic live album that paved the way for so much music to come, especially punk music. A really cool recording that captures them playing in their hometown of Detroit; you can feel the energy in the crowd and the tension in the air. The title track and "Motor City" are the two highlights of the album, with the latter being a ballsy bluesey cover of the John Lee Hooker song about the riots in Detroit the year before. Makes you want to torch a cop car listening to it. The whole album is only 39 minutes, shorter than most live albums, and it's rough around the edges, raw, and full of protest. Kick out the jams motherfucker. Indeed.
That was some rock for sure. Couldn't tell if there was 1 singer or 5 I liked the pump up speech in the beginning of the show. More bands should do that to get the juices flowing
Second song already that Rage covered on Renegades. This is pretty raw and loud which I'm down with but some of it gets lost on me. Parts of Starship sound like some live Doors which was cool. Weird af but cool.
Not bad. Not bad at all. I thought it would be hard to listen to since I don't like a punk.
Live primal US proto punk that has a reputation as an "inportant" album. (*which always makes me wary). Its fine, and the energy of the performance can be felt though the songs are not always great.
This would have been a fun concert. I don't know that I want to listen to it that much after the fact. I can understand how this would be been revolutionary at the time.
not my jam, 2.5/5
I've heard of MC5 before via a music documentary I watched that traced the roots of heavy metal and rock music all the way back to classical music and the blues. The name of the documentary was "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey". Once the narrator moves from the beginnings to the early days of rock, you see that he includes MC5 on a list of bands that he classified as "Early Metal". This list also includes other bands such as Blue Cheer, the Stooges, Mountain, Deep Purple, and others. I don't know about Early Metal for a genre type, but for a movement, sure. These guys are like psychadelic rock meets the beginnings of punk. At this time, bands were discovering how to distort their guitars, and overdrive their amps, leading to crazy fast thrashing and banging. The faster you played, the better the people liked it. It felt rebellious in a time where discipline and order were pushed hard. The kids who came out to these shows were the Baby Boomer generation: many of them grew up with war veterans as parents, which often led to strict military rules at home, so these bands offered an outlet for all that pent up aggression and anger. Those feelings can definately be heard through the political stance of the band members, as well as their live performance on this record, and though their lyrics. Overall, not a lot in the way of talent in the band. They could barely play instruments or sing, but as an idea; as a movement, this album is enormous. For that reason, I can see past the painful barrage of crash cymbals, shouted lyrics and loud distorted guitar. This is the start of something massive. It's like listening to the start of a star beginning to explode. From here, Metal would take hold, as well as punk, and everything in between. A great listen, and a great history lesson. Favourite songs: Kick Out The Jams, Motor City is Burning Least favourite songs: Starship, Ramblin' Rose, I Want You Right Now 3/5
Not a huge fan of live albums but this is filled with energy. Also cool to see where punk came from. Some great tunes on this record.
Love this genre and MC5 undoubtedly rock, but they are also not as expansive as others.
Eh
MC5 just goes at one speed and volume and it's pretty constant. There's certainly an energy there and I bet it was a lot of fun to see live back in the day. I always feel pretty meh about live recordings, and this was no different. Fun enough.
Good punk album,
Good
Ik heb hier vooral plezier aan beleefd met sample- / orgineel spotten. Blijkbaar een inspirerende band. Muzikaal word ik er niet per se gelukkig van, komt misschien ook omdat de opname niet de beste kwaliteit is. Ik ga voor een basis van 2 sterren en een halve ster omdat het wel grondleggend is.
Rauwe rock & roll. Ik ken het nummer Kick out the jams, als cover van Presidents of the USA. Die waren lekker vrolijk, maar de jongens van MC5 zijn vnl heel boos lijkt het wel. Alsof alle frustraties er uitgespeeld moeten worden. Iets te gruizig allemaal, het klinkt zoals hoe die Ballroom er nu uitziet (check die foto op de wiki). Zo heeft MC5 het achtergelaten in 1969 waarschijnlijk.
Interesting
Oooh, a live album. Can't fault the energy here, but the 60s rock sound wasn't all that captivating
Loud and proud, a metric tonne of energy here. Influential and a great change from the proggy/hippy tunes popular in the late 60s
Estrena discogràfica en directe (gens habitual a l'època) amb un so cru, despullat, ple de riffs incendiaris i lletres més incendiàries encara. Fora de tot això, ha passat més a l'història pel seu to revolucionari que pel seu contingut, rock brutot i accelerat
Tää oli yllättävän jees. Hyvä meno.
Hippie as fuck rock 2.5
3.75
They sure got the aggressiveness and the rebellious energy but the execution is lacking. It's a little bit messy but there's some good tunes on the album.
6/10
Prawdziwe praszczury punkowego rokowania, bo banda powstala w 63, a wywodza sie z detroid, wiec rowniez egzotycznie, bo nie kojarzylem tamtych rejonow z historia punka w hameryce, a kick out the jams grany na zywca, ktory jest debiutanckim krazkiem zespolu z 69, 40 minut materialu zostalu nagrane podczas dwoch wystepow na halloweena, jak to zwykle w przypadku na zywca glownym aspektem nagrania jest energia z jaka jest grana muzyka, a tutaj czuc, ze wychodzi ona wrecz dachem, co slychac po reakcjach tlumu pomiedzy trakami, a skoro punkowanie, to nie moglo sie obyc bez liryk z lewej strony kompasu politycznego zmiksowanego z nuta rewolucjonistycznej anarchii, wiekszosc trakow to mocne lojenie gitarowe polaczone z mocno ekspresyjnym wokalem, ale czuc rowniez influencje bluesowe jak na motor city is burning, dawno nie sluchalem livowych albumikow, wiec mila odmiana, z tego co widze banda nadal preznie wystepuje pomimo juz tak zawansowanego rocznika, na plejke leci tytulowy kick out the jams i wspomniany niebieski trak motor city is burning, klawiatura nadal wypluwa najczesciej uzywana litere w jezyku polskim w nilimitowanych ilosciach, wiec lista wraca na mrozenie
It was like a more punk rock The Who. A lot of angst. Not my style
I quite like the jams they're kicking out here.
Amphetamines, hey?
Lots of energy - they must have been amazing live. Not convinced it translates onto record though.
Another band I’ve heard about but never listened to. Like a lot of what gets billed as pronto-punk or whatever it kind of struck me as just very sloppy rock and roll. Didn’t hate it at all but I wasn’t seeing the big innovation. It’s possible they’re one of those bands that a live set isn’t the best introduction, for me at least. Of course it ends with one of those clangoring noise fests that may be sick when you’re at the end of participating in an energetic live show in the midst of an enthusiastic crowd, but mainly annoy me in recordings.
Meh
I don't see myself throwing this one on again and again, but still enjoyed it.
Best part of the album might have been the announcement at the beginning.
I liked this a bit more than I thought that I would at first glance. A couple of the tracks were kind of catchy...but it was noisy and rough most of the time for me. So, I was just barely holding on for much of it.
Started out strong, but got weird near the end.
Never heard of this band and I really dug the guitar work. Unfortunately the singer is just way too weak to lead this kind of band. His voice just wasn't powerful enough and it showed. 2.5/5
Love it, hate it, I don't mind at all. The messy nature of punk in this form always erks me.
It's a bit surprising it was released in the 60s, seems ahead of its time. That being said, it doesn't have as many hooks and interesting moments as some later punk.
Wanna know where punk came from? Definitely somewhere around here.
I get what the band is trying to here. But the energy is completely directionless. It's all over the place. I can totally see pnk coming from this, but I felt that a good deal of punk still has a bit more focus. This just sounds... drunk.
You can definitely feel the energy on this one - at every song conclusion I'm just waiting to hear someone smash their instrument. Which is good because as musicians they're average at best. There's some heady social commentary on Motor City is Burning and between some songs, but otherwise it's pretty sex-fueled drivel (except for the weird but intriguing Starship). I mean sex, drugs, and rock & roll but maybe a little more variety? Thanks to Rage I love Kick Out the Jams and the original is solid (enough melody and lots of energy in their flawed playing). I think my ultimate rating is more based on knowing what they pioneered than their own ability.
Punk makes some people want to kick things. Feedback makes me want to kick things. I know they're groundbreaking and this is considered a classic. I'd probably go up to a 4 based on the energy and the fact that they were ahead of their time, but too much feedback is an automatic 1-point deduction (minimum). Favorite tracks: Kick Out the Jams (obviously), Ramblin' Rose (even with the weird high singing), Borderline (rockin' track), Motor City is Burning (good blues). Least favorite - anything with too much feedback, particularly Come Together and Starship.
Fun listen. I've heard of MC5 but never really listened to them before.
Bit noisey, but not bad
meh
I honestly think I don't like the live recording. I don't think the acoustics are great. It's in the direction of things I like.
Some cool guitar
Groundbreaking, raw, but slightly dull
This is a new band for me. I think I’d enjoy this more if I’d heard studio versions of the songs first. But the live recordings definitely capture the energy of the band. They sound like a great live act - the lead singer in particular is pretty wild. (That closing track “Starship” tried my patience though.) Highlights: “Kick Out the Jams,” “Motor City is Burning” (some nice blues riffing here), “I Want You Right Now” (I feel like this track gave me the best sense of who MC5 is as a band)
Had never heard of these but it was kinda funky - in a good way. But probably won’t seek out any more of their music.
When i was driving to work this morning, I thought "my day really needs some anarchic rock and cosmic jazz". MC5 delivered.
Genre: Proto-Punk 3/5 Another decent live album from this list, MC5's Kick Out the Jams is a pretty interesting glimpse into what would end up becoming quite a mainstream rock movement: lefty punk/hard rock. Equal parts political, equal parts noise rock, this thing is a trip. The late 60s birthed plenty of good, plenty of bad, and also plenty of ugly. This particular live album does a great job of highlighting all three, although not all in the same quantities. The boisterous, rebellious intro, outlining the radical left positions of the day (don't let the man get you down, etc.), sound a bit dated and a little forced, considering these positions weren't necessarily held by them until they were taken under the wing of White Panther, and political provocateur, John Sinclair. The songs themselves are certainly portals into the future, showcasing a raw, heavy sound that wouldn't be mainstreamed for at least another decade or more, but in its infancy it sounds a bit too chaotic. The title track is a fucking jam, but the rest of the tracks pale in comparison, and beyond the occasional political interjection, the rest of the album kind of just sounds like a heavy rock record. While I can see the place this album holds in the history and progression of punk and garage rock, I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped I would. But not bad.
Had it on, couple of good tracks but it didn't hook me in, I would listen again
Classic garage band and Patty Smith's hubby played for them.
Ces gars-là ont une très belle énergie, ce qui suffit à les opposer à Leonard Cohen.
Very heavy man, fight the power!
Definitely a cool part of music history that’s very important to hear. I just wish the quality of the songs was a little more consistent; this is great in songs but not as a whole album for me.
4/5/22
okay sound, but definitely ahead of their time and have to give them props for that.
Ábyggilega miklir stuðtónleikar. Stemmingin skilar sér samt ekki alveg á plötu.
chaotic but pretty fun.
Came across this last year. Proto-punk apparently that burst kicking and screaming into the scene before getting banned obviously. It's pretty good if you're in the mood for raucous noise and energy. Musth've been great live in the 60's.
As live albums go it was ok. Got duped into believing the mc5 were the bees knees when I was younger so I've listened to this before. Nowhere near as revolutionary as I'd been led to believe.
AND IT'S LIVE!!!!
(The drummer aside) a triumph of enthusiasm over ability. But that’s what rock and roll should be about, no?
I've never heard of MC5 but I seem to be in some kind of rut with generator, with all my albums being from the same few years all weel. All I can tell from the cover is that the band is white and aggressively American and probably somewhat chaotic. I don't know what MC5 stands for but I do like the name of the album "Kick out the Jams". Getting started listening this music mostly comes across as energetic noise? Quite distinct from the Hendrix, Allman Brothers, Joni Mitchell, or that godforsaken Incredible String Band I've been listening to. Ah, ok, readying about who MC5 is, I get it now, and have a framework for my brain to process these sounds. Not sure I'll put it in heavy rotation but I certainly respect that these boys clearly came to play. I can hear the roots of much music I really like, making me embarrassed not to already be familiar with MC5. That's the point of this project, I guess. 2 stars for being reasonably listenable if sloppy and an extra star for sheer effort. Did I need to hear this album before I died? Yes I think I did. (Also, Motor City 5. And I'm not sure it is fair to call someone "paunchy" when compared to Iggy Pop. Because aren't we all paunchy compared to Iggy Pop?)
Pretty fun stuff. 6-7/10
I bet that was a party.
Good solid rock. That's it.
I want to rate this higher because they influenced so many bands that I love. There's a lot of energy and grit on display here BUT...it's not that great. The title track is a classic and there's a few other good songs but a lot of it just doesn't hold up. Other people took inspiration from them and improved on it greatly. I'm very grateful that MC5 existed but they might be my least favorite of the proto-punk bands. 2 stars for the album add another for the path they paved.
Rocks pretty hard.
I liked the songs but really not a fan of live albums. That said, this one is better than most. It really captures their energy and made me wish I was at the concert.
I can see that this is an influential early punk project, and the live aspect does help increase the energy. However, the whole thing is poorly put together; even the mixing is just plain terrible on some tracks
jimi hendrix but punk
I had never heard of this band before. There were a couple of songs that were good but there were some weird ones. A live album didn't help it.
September 14, 2021 I listened to this on bad headphones, but I wanted to like it more than I did. Maybe worth another try later since I usually like this kind of stuff more.
I had to do a search to find the uncensored intro to the title track. With a 2021 lens, such language isn't such a big deal, but saying motherfucker in 1969 was quite racy. I initially thought the music was quite heavy for 1969 although Led Zep's 1st two albums were that year and Hendrix and The Who were also playing heavy then so they had company. While I have a distaste for heavy rock from the late 70s and later, I still enjoy heavy stuff from 69 and the early 70s. I generally think this album is well recorded for a '69 live album (comparing it to Live at Leeds for example) but the production seems to fail badly e.g. I assume the guitar solo at the end of Rocket Producer wasn't supposed to sound that kerfuffled. Also, the mixing makes the lead guitar a wrecking ball. I guess having the vocals being overpowered is OK since the guy can't sing that well and we wouldn't be able to understand what he was saying anyway. The one track where we can understand the lyrics is Motor City is Burning since the verses are played like a ballad so we can hear the lyrics. I expect this was intentional since it's the song that delivers an important political message. It is historically significant to hear the music that defined the protest movements at that time. I haven't been in Detroit for a while but the downtown area remained gutted for at least 25 years (+?) after the race riots hat are the topic of Motor City. I'm not entirely convinced this album was influential for the punk movement - the lineage to The Who is more obvious - but I will defer to the experts who see the link. These two points deserve a +1 but I'm not feeling generous enough to give the race riot connection and punk influence each a +1.
A seminal live album from a rock innovator for hard rock and punk. MC5 is showing off their merits and impact in this album which shows the speed and frenzy they brought to the mainstream.
Rockin’ Live
It's raw. It'll push you to start a garage band and scream into your mic. The first two tracks are amazing. And after that it's constant jamming. That being said, I felt it's main appeal was it's massive influence to garage rock and proto-punk. I felt it was one of the weaker punk albums I've listened to. Although I'd love to rock to the later songs, they were largely forgettable, and with each song's long length, if you're not in the right mood, it reduces to nothing more than noise rock. Overall, worth another listen if you have the right setting.
Has some pretty incredible energy, but it's not something I see myself reaching for very often.
very noisy, very screamy, was fun to read about the bands this band inspired. certainly fun loud punk.
Not a punk fan 3/5
Great start, this is more my speed. 3of5
The electric protopunk live album rocks. EPIC
Some nice loud punk rock
The best thing about this album is the energy. Kick Out The Jams itself is a classic garage punk track which stands out but for the most part it melds into a haze of fuzz and feedback and impressively for a live album it captures the essence of a great show.
A blistering, frenetic cacophony of energy and excitement. What a live experience this would have been. Really enjoyed and will revisit
Cool album, just thought i'd like it more
Nice drive.
Was aite. Bit noisy for 9am
Inicios del punk.
Nice gig, still not getting this live albums being included on the list
This was okay.
Pretty heavy 60's jams
Another roots of punk
j some really good not particularly unique classic noisy rock !
quite chill, nothing really stood out but good vibes throughout 3.5
Best wel lekker album met veel gitaarsolos
A fun garage/punk band that has RATM vibes. Will listen to again
2.9
The title track’s a total banger, but past that? Eh.
+
It's on the list for its importance in defining punk and for defying censors, but when you listen to it, it's kind of just a pretty good live album. I put the title track on my playlist, but beyond that, I doubt I'll think of this album again. Best track: Kick Out The Jams
First punk record? Definitely at least proto-punk here. Very good, top-to-bottom, with lots of raw energy throughout. Not something I would probably listen to a whole bunch, but enjoyable. Spotify edits out the famous opening for some reason.
Några sköna låtar. Proto punk och säkert skitcoolt när albumet släpptes i slutet på 60-talet. Men det står sig svagt mot t.ex Stooges.
Chaotic noise
No fav song
I imagine this is what it sounds like when you go out with your high school band for the first time thinking you're sounding like Led Zeppelin. Had some good laughs though
The tracks sound just like a lot of (live) noise.
Bezveze, baš ništa posebno, ali u usporedbi nije ni toliko loše. 2/5, 3/10
This live album isn’t doing the band any favors. Most of the songs struck me as dull and/or annoying. Maybe its novel edge just got eclipsed over time, too.
Couldn't get into it. Maybe a bit too punky for me.
Wow, this is really bad. There’s something special about a horribly executed but earnest effort where the people involved are blissfully unaware of what a shitshow they’re churning out. It’s why The Room is one of my favourite movies. With this in mind, I have added a star for sheer entertainment value.
Between the heavily distorted recording quality, the punk style and the experimental sections of songs that drag on too long this would not be an album I would choose to listen to a third time.
Nothing special
Iconic self-titled song and historical importance, but a mediocre album nonetheless.
Not that enjoyable
Man if I had only seen the album name and band name as text I would have bet money on this being 80s hip hop. Yeah it's pretty basic as far as musicianship and message go, they don't seem to get much further than the general idea of "problems bad, start the revolution". But, I also feel like it's very clearly committed to being loud and abrasive with a big fat mountain of sound. They do that part pretty well, I think.
I may have had more enjoyment if I was familiar with the studio work before I heard the live album. Maybe I’ll revisit.
This is my first introduction to this band and it was fine, not horrific enough to get a 1 but kind of unremarkable for me
If you like loud, distorted guitars and screaming, then MC5 might be for you. It’s not really for me. The first song sounded like the singer got hit in the groin as it was very screechy. The rest sounded like a bad Jimi Hendrix cover band, with much worse lyrics. I know the 60s were a tumultuous time, so I’ll cut them some slack and not give them one star. But I could be pretty happy to never hear this again.
The energy was good, but the songs... were kind of bad
Loud and screechy…but maybe that’s the point? Likes: Rocket Reducer No. 62
I've heard the title track quite a few times and had no strong thoughts about it other than being aware it's a seminal early punk song. I was both interested and hesitant going into this today. t started off not great, with the vocals on Ramblin' Rose very hard to take. It then settled in to a mix of songs I thought were fine and those I didn't. Ultimately it was pretty much what I expected-a very sloppy sounding band and recording of songs that aren't really ones I'd likely love. The two songs that stood out from the rest for me were Kick Out the Jams and Motor City is Burning.
a lil too hard for my liking
Todo bien con ésto, pero "tenes que escucharlo antes de morir" es un montón. Nota: 2.0
Like the very beginning of punk? Not really my sort of thing - I'm rarely that keen on live albums.
Cool songs but repetitive
Goes hard. Probably needs more listens to appreciate. High 2s.
First song was a banger rest were forgetable
Not so great
So I mean it’s pretty much quarter note bass and drums, with discordant screeching guitars overtop and a dude yelling into a tin can 50 feet away from the mic. I like punk, but I like good production, and this is really just rather unpleasant.
I don't like punk, so why would I like proto punk. The energy was alright and at least it wasn't the British punk where the singers sound really bad, but it just sounded like a mess ending in 60s prog punk combination.
this didn’t really hold my attention very much
Oh man this album is miserable - not good guitar playing, vocals are lame, it just feels like sludge cause it doesn’t even feel like it’s got value to it. I feel kinda disappointed by the list the last few weeks cause it’s just all this sorta lame not inspiring or developmental stuff. It being live doesn’t help its case at all, I didn’t really feel much energy from the crowd.
This did not sound like a revolution; if this were a revolution, it would be a failure because it is such a mess.
It is a energetic album, puts you in a hyped mood for sure. It didn't make me go wild for it tho 2/5
Painful listen. 1.5/5 really. Brought down so much by the final 2 songs.
Gosh, hard work 😏
It's been a while since we had this genre so my calibration needs tuning. I couldn't tell if this was good or bad.
A completely chaotic live album that sounds like a group of mostly unpolished, overly energetic kids let loose on stage. I can hear the early punk influence, but it feels driven more by raw energy than anything resembling tight musicianship.
High energy Rock & Roll Bedlam. Highlights: Ramblin’ Rose, Kick Out The Jams 2.7
MC5 is to The Clash what a hot air balloon is to a 747. It came first and revolutionised the genre, but I sure wouldn't like to take a hot air balloon to Marbella. Or something.
Not great!
This felt a little like Kiss, a little like the White Stripes, a little like AC/DC, and a little like Janis Joplin/Big Brother at times. Mixing that all together resulted in, well, something kinda unimpressive. It's pretty rockin', and the punk vibes are there. But it's not really all that good to me. I don't love live albums as it is (see any of my prior reviews on them for more info), so that likely had an impact on my estimation. The energy captured on this is one is undeniable, for what it's worth. Still, other than the energy, I'm not sure what makes this album special. Perhaps it's due to when it came out and being different than the more mellow and/or bluesy rock common at the time? Regardless, it just seemed OK to me. Overall: 2.3/5
Apart from the title track there isn't a lot to write home about here. However the crowd are having a whale of a time and that both adds and detracts from the listening experience
2.1 Utterly pointless. Sounded like a bootleg footage of the stooges having an off night. If it wasn't my usual genre it'd be rock bottom. No idea why it's here.
Interesting
I appreciate the jams, but it goes a little hard for my taste.
Not my favourite. Too rocky and rolly.
Heard the title track before. I get that they're influential and all but to my 2026 ears this album just isn't interesting honestly 2/5
Would have been good to have been present at the gig. So a great momento for those who were (1968 wonder how many still about?) but for the rest of us the raw energy of the gig doesn’t sound that great in the sterile environment of my lounge. 2/5 3/4/26
I don’t like it
I appreciate this more than I actually like it. It’s hard to believe this was recorded in the 60s.
I do not understand this list's fascination with live albums. Fave track: Kick Out The Jams
Probably more enjoyable if you were actually there. 2/5
Hmmm live ja Süsch nei Zuu rockig
Utterly pointless live submission to the list. There is nothing about this lot as performers that warrants a live album here, and the songs themselves were very generic.
Decent at best. The longest song, Starship, was very messy.
ovo bi mi se po opisu trebalo sviđati, ali ne sviđa mi se nimalo. jednostavno loše zvuči, ne znam kako da drugačije opišem. još mi se nakon dvije minuta posljednje "pjesme" pripišalo pa sam kratko odahnuo od slušanja da bih se vratio i slušao posljednjih šest minuta izdrkavanja, što je ostavilo još gorči okus u ustima nakon svega. bljuc
No me gustó mucho
Likes: Chaotic parts of the jams remind me of later noise jams by bands like Nirvana; high energy Dislikes: they don’t quite sell me on the idea that the chaos is intentional, and not just a result of everyone being high and fucking their parts up; not particularly interesting to me Overall, similar to my review of Arthur by The Kinks. I know what this band is supposed to mean in the broader context of rock, but I don’t feel like I get it.
War jetzt nicht so gut, aber punk muss halt manchmal auch ein bisschen scheiße sein...
Album #100 MC5: Kick Out The Jams Kind of a lacklustre album for my hundredth, seeing how I have never heard of it. After listening to it, it definitely is ahead of its time and is probably one of the earliest instances of a true ‘punk’ album; however, I don’t really think this one has held up that much. You can’t deny its energy, and it’s not terrible or anything, but I’m not the biggest fan of the more raw punk sound, so this sound isn’t even something that I loved when it was fully fledged (for the most part, there are a lot of great punk bands). It’s cool that it’s a live album, and it definitely would have been a fun show to attend while tripping balls in the 60s; but sitting in my bedroom in the 2020s, I’m not fully enthralled by it. That being said, it is a super interesting album, and one which actually warrants an inclusion on a list like this so I’m happy to have heard it. Best Songs: Kick Out The Jam, Ramblin’ Rose, Motor City Is Burning Worst Song: Borderline Score out of 10: 5.5
Not for me
meh , not rlly a big fan of this album. i liked the first song
Energetic but uninspiring
New to me. A pale imitation of The Who
Stated well and felt fresh for its time. Unfortunately fresh turned to odd in the second half.
These guys must have been amazing live when the passion and protest would be visceral. Sadly, the rudimentary rock, shouty delivery and sexually explicit lyrics don't have the same impact when sipping a cup of tea at home on a sunny spring morning. 2*
#887. I know a lot of people consider this to be one of the greatest live albums ever. But, like... why though? 2/5: meh
I bet going to this show was a blast. I'm not connecting to it. Some splashes that grabbed my attention, but not enough of them. The history and how controversial this release was surprised me. It feels middle of the road.
I feel like I need to understand the cultural history of this album to appreciate it properly. I don't. I'd rather just be able to appreciate the music to be fair, which is ok.
Listening to this album is like driving a 1984 Dodge Caravan: I appreciate its place in history, but I don’t really want to drive it.
I get that it is an iconic album heralding punk etc, but it's also a bit of a mess. MC5 - fine; this album - not so much.
Probably one of those 'you had to be there' records
I wanted to hate this and almost liked it a tiny bit.
Pocos discos en live me gustan como suena y este no es uno de ellos
Definitely harder/heavier than I like, but also pretty boring.
Eh.
Not for me
It’s possible that this concert had some historical or cultural importance. Wish I could’ve been there. MC5 has really fun music. But it is hard to get a good recording of a live performance. I’m giving this two stars because some of it managed to sound like music.
It's good
Maybe they have energy, maybe they're raw and proto-punk, but not for me. Starship hurt my ears.
If there is one word to describe it, it would be ‘rough’. The music is rough, the recording quality isn’t great either (though I realise it is an older record, but still) and therefore it is a very rough listen. 2/5
Literally just garage band noise
Over halfway in, and I can't stop thinking about listening to something else. The first glimpse of songwriting and musicianship I have gotten on this album is Motor City is Burning. Otherwise, and I quote every parent ever, "That's not music. That's just noise." This wasn't offensive to listen to, but it sure made me want it to be over so I could listen to something else ⭐⭐
The riffs are pretty good. I don't much like the live recording. I don't much like the vocals, particularly the falsetto vocals on the first song. At times it doesn't even sound in tune. Seems like an influential album, but it's not really hitting for me. I feel like this could get a kid hyped in the '70s but I'd prefer something a little more polished. "Starship" is a mess of a closer for me.
Not a fan. A lot of noise and this band never really did it for me.
Not for me
It’s a spirited performance, and combines carefree tomfoolery with a few decent musical ideas. Emphasis on “few”. While the singing is generally fine (with rock screams mirroring those of Jim Morrison from the same time period), the melodies are far from ideal. Guitar riffs are pretty much always blaring, roaring into you at slightly different types depending on which ear you are. And they don’t sound great. The best the guitars sound is in the Heartbreaker-esque solo in Rocket Reducer No. 62 - Talk, which unfortunately is an intensely unapproachable song for other reasons. (Speaking of tracks from Led Zeppelin II, every song seems to be in the same key, which I think is also the key in The Lemon Song. And because the guitar-playing is a lot like Page’s, I keep sensing bits of lemon in my MC5. I guess I’m not complaining.) The guitar sound in Motor City Is Burning also stands out: it’s gritty, distorted, but not too much so. And the groove is really strong. Swung blues is hard to get wrong. I feel the second singer isn’t adding very much to a lot of the tracks. (In fact, at times he adds so little that I wonder if the lead vocalist is singing over a pre-recorded vocal track.) There are zero vocal harmonisations, unless you count falsetto “woo”s that happen to hit a decent harmony with the main melody. So what exactly were MC5 thinking here? Did they have a friend that really wanted to tag along to the gig but couldn’t play any instruments? (Have I just described every member of MC5? Impossible to know, really.) Come Together is a fun track, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the other Come Together released in 1969. (In fact, I found myself craving some chill electronic blues around this point in the album. But MC5 are far from “chill”. Unfortunately for them.) Borderline is a track with lots of potential, but it squanders it with a disorienting percussion part that makes it impossible near-impossible for the music to settle into a groove. Because of that, I don’t see myself returning to it. (The audience seemed to love it, though, so what do I know?) I’m torn on I Want You Right Now. On the one hand, it kind of rips (in a good way). On the other hand, it’s five and a half minutes of two chords and includes a terrible middle section (in a bad way). Overall, not approved – but only barely. The middle section of Starship is at least more interesting – kind of like early Floyd (Astronomy Domine, or Interstellar Overdrive, or A Saucerful of Secrets). I dig it. It’s a major change from the rest of the album, incorporating some major psychedelia and space-rock into an otherwise hard-rock sound. The second half is horrendously atonal, though – and because that part takes up a cool 4 minutes of the 39-minute record, it singlehandedly lowers my rating from 3 to 2 stars. 2/5 Key tracks: Kick Out the Jams, Motor City Is Burning
ok
Toe tapper, Bust a move
Inte så engagerande trots kaoset
Inspiration för bra saker som kommit senare, men det här var lite för stökigt och lite för live.
Njae jag vet inte.
Not for me but I liked the energy
Too heavy
Not really for me :///
Nothing much I liked here. Not terrible
Meh.
Good band but this sounds bad.
hmmm wel een paar leuke liedjes ma die roept gwn veel te veel, also jeff buckley zn versie van kick out the jams is 100 keer beter🤐
Best Track - "Kick Out The Jams"
Meh, but can understand others liking it.
Not really a fan of live albums on the list in the first place, and this really did not give me a good first impression of this band. I found it very shouty and noisy. Not really my thing at all. Motor City Burning was okay because it had some guitar work in the middle that I liked, but for the most part this was very forgettable and I wont be revisiting ever again. 2.5 stars
Really, 2026? My first day of work for the year is even more dreadful because I have to listen to an album with one good song on it? Come on, now, that's just unfair. Favorite Track: "Kick Out The Jams".
Merci, j'ai maintenant une sacrée migraine
Archetypal live rock album, influencial on this genre.
I’d give it a 2.5 if I could, I know this album was influential but my god it is so mid with no context
Boring bullshit
Not terrible - but not great.
Noise
I can't even think of a live album that should be on here. Title song is fun
тоже на любителя...
2.3 1x
Turns out I am not a punk fan
Mäßiges Album aus früher Rockgeschichte. Es ist weder gut, noch stilprägend.
I’m not much of a hard rock fan. This sounds fairly similar to all of their contemporaries. Unfortunately not my thing. 2/5
Supposedly MC5 is this great hard rock band. At least based on this record I disagree.
This was a very weird album, where they were making a lot of noises and the vocals were mainly screaming. Overall, not that great, but it was manageable in the background for a bit.
Shame to give this the same rating as other worse albums, but it’s just not my jam, literally. I think those first three tracks are pretty cool like proto-punk though
I had to stop listening, it's not pleasant to listen to, nor does it seem particularly Punk, it just seems bad and kinda boring.
Messy production and messy playing makes a hard listen. I'm assuming that it must've sounded better in the room. Starship was interesting.
I kinda feel like releasing a live album instead of getting it right in the studio is a bit cheap. But, as their contemporaries the Stooges were finding out, that could be a frustrating process.
Quite noisy, but the start was not so bad, but they lost me half way. Not really a fan of this kind of live albums
Maso
„Kick Out the Jams“ wurde im Oktober 1968 live im Grande Ballroom in Detroit aufgenommen und 1969 veröffentlicht. Die US-amerikanische Band MC5 um Sänger Rob Tyner, die Gitarristen Wayne Kramer und Fred „Sonic“ Smith, Bassist Michael Davis und Schlagzeuger Dennis Thompson verbindet hier Einflüsse aus Garage-Rock, Hard Rock und frühem Proto-Punk. Bekannte Titel wie „Kick Out the Jams“, „Ramblin’ Rose“ und „Motor City Is Burning“ zeigen den rohen, direkten Stil der Gruppe. Die Live-Aufnahmen wirken ungestützt und energiegeladen, was den Auftrittscharakter betont und den Sound authentisch, aber ungeschliffen erscheinen lässt. Persönlich empfinde ich das Album als eindrucksvolles Zeitdokument einer Übergangsphase zwischen Rock und Punk, in der Haltung wichtiger war als technische Präzision.
Electric intro speech. Not much else besides a cacophony
Hated that it was live 😭😭
it kinda sucks ass but I guess had some energy to it Will I listen to again: 1%
I didn't get it....
Relatively more listenable
another ugly, boring, meandering live album of shit i wouldn't want to listen to the studio version of. sorry for being so salty but please be serious 1001 albums. this? her? NO!!!
This did nothing for me. His voice is not great. The instruments started well but then sounded sloppy.
Ah yes the best genre out there, punk.
Didn't see too much of the appeal with this. Songs and performances weren't particular engrossing. Fair play for making that kind of noise in the 60s in America though.
Bad live album, not a great recording. Proto punk ok but so what. I’ve heard black metal recorded cleaner than this and that genre aims for it sounding like it was recorded in a tin can.
I've never heard of MC5 before today, but this type of rock music is almost always going to be something I enjoy more live and in person than as a rough recording. I didn't completely hate this album, but I think I finally understand where the cliché of Silents yelling at their Boomer children to "turn down that noise" came from – it's so hard to pick out any of the actual musicality here between the blaring instruments and harsh vocals. Highlights: Ramblin' Rose, Motor City Is Burning
Para ver en directo. Su escucha no aporta gran cosa. Ninguna canción es memorable. Ruido y ...
Not really my thing
Aside from the Last Waltz, I’ve never been moved by a live album.
This is live album number 3 in the last 4 days. Still annoying. I get that this live album was their debut, but still has all the trapping of live albums: bad sound quality, unfun banter, and just being annoying.
Ik dacht dit niet te kennen, maar 'Kick Out The Jams' ken ik van Guitar Hero: World Tour. Ik moet zeggen dat daarmee het grootste feest ook wel weer voorbij is wat dit album betreft. Ik vind dit niet zo heel super. Wellicht omdat het wat live, schel en extra druk is. Ook verzandt het halverwege al in een soort solo die heel goed zou zijn als einde van de show, maar zoals gezegd zit je dan pas op de helft. Al met al is het daardoor wat vermoeiend en teveel. Deze gaat in het laatje bij de 2 sterren.
The title track is the only song I knew before listening to the album. And The Big F’s cover of “Kick Out the Jams” (on Rubáiyát, the compilation marking Elektra’s 40th anniversary) is far, far better.
Too messy